Skype/Pidgin (msn) problem

David Woolley forums at david-woolley.me.uk
Fri May 10 04:30:06 EDT 2013


Carlos Barros wrote:
> Hello I'm here to report a bug with pidgin/skype, everytime I speak on 
> skype (with an account different from my msn messenger) I get a message 

Please provide a reference to the publicly accessible protocol 
specification document that Pidgin is violating. One cannot really claim 
a bug in Pidgin if it fails to implement a specification change that 
hasn't been notified to its developers.  (Strictly speaking, one cannot 
claim a bug for an external change until Pidgin officially claims to 
support that change, although one could still use the bug tracker to 
report the problem.)

Moreover, the only thing that has actually been notified about the MSN 
protocol is the intent to shut it down entirely outside of China.  The 
deadline for that has already passed, so people outside Microsoft really 
have no idea of their plans for it.

Use of Pidgin on MSN has, for as long as I have known, been in breach of 
the MSN terms of use.  There are even greater legal difficulties in 
providing direct access to Skype.

Further information on the uncertain, presumed morbid, state of MSN and 
the problems with supporting Skype can be found in
http://pidgin.im/pipermail/support/2012-December/012656.html
and
http://theflamingbanker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/pidgin-and-impending-shutdown-of.html

A google for "pidgin msn skype" will also provide lots of references to 
the impending closure of MSN.

Note that Microsoft are encouraging Skype users to login in using their 
MSN credentials, and have an alternative login page for that.

Essentially, you should be blaming Microsoft here, but you have to 
accept that there is no commercial imperative for them to support a free 
service to people using software they didn't supply.
-- 
David Woolley
Emails are not formal business letters, whatever businesses may want.
RFC1855 says there should be an address here, but, in a world of spam,
that is no longer good advice, as archive address hiding may not work.




More information about the Support mailing list